+++ /dev/null
-@cindex free documentation
-
-The biggest deficiency in the free software community today is not in
-the software---it is the lack of good free documentation that we can
-include with the free software. Many of our most important
-programs do not come with free reference manuals and free introductory
-texts. Documentation is an essential part of any software package;
-when an important free software package does not come with a free
-manual and a free tutorial, that is a major gap. We have many such
-gaps today.
-
-Consider Perl, for instance. The tutorial manuals that people
-normally use are non-free. How did this come about? Because the
-authors of those manuals published them with restrictive terms---no
-copying, no modification, source files not available---which exclude
-them from the free software world.
-
-That wasn't the first time this sort of thing happened, and it was far
-from the last. Many times we have heard a GNU user eagerly describe a
-manual that he is writing, his intended contribution to the community,
-only to learn that he had ruined everything by signing a publication
-contract to make it non-free.
-
-Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom, not
-price. The problem with the non-free manual is not that publishers
-charge a price for printed copies---that in itself is fine. (The Free
-Software Foundation sells printed copies of manuals, too.) The
-problem is the restrictions on the use of the manual. Free manuals
-are available in source code form, and give you permission to copy and
-modify. Non-free manuals do not allow this.
-
-The criteria of freedom for a free manual are roughly the same as for
-free software. Redistribution (including the normal kinds of
-commercial redistribution) must be permitted, so that the manual can
-accompany every copy of the program, both on-line and on paper.
-
-Permission for modification of the technical content is crucial too.
-When people modify the software, adding or changing features, if they
-are conscientious they will change the manual too---so they can
-provide accurate and clear documentation for the modified program. A
-manual that leaves you no choice but to write a new manual to document
-a changed version of the program is not really available to our
-community.
-
-Some kinds of limits on the way modification is handled are
-acceptable. For example, requirements to preserve the original
-author's copyright notice, the distribution terms, or the list of
-authors, are ok. It is also no problem to require modified versions
-to include notice that they were modified. Even entire sections that
-may not be deleted or changed are acceptable, as long as they deal
-with nontechnical topics (like this one). These kinds of restrictions
-are acceptable because they don't obstruct the community's normal use
-of the manual.
-
-However, it must be possible to modify all the @emph{technical}
-content of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual
-media, through all the usual channels. Otherwise, the restrictions
-obstruct the use of the manual, it is not free, and we need another
-manual to replace it.
-
-Please spread the word about this issue. Our community continues to
-lose manuals to proprietary publishing. If we spread the word that
-free software needs free reference manuals and free tutorials, perhaps
-the next person who wants to contribute by writing documentation will
-realize, before it is too late, that only free manuals contribute to
-the free software community.
-
-If you are writing documentation, please insist on publishing it under
-the GNU Free Documentation License or another free documentation
-license. Remember that this decision requires your approval---you
-don't have to let the publisher decide. Some commercial publishers
-will use a free license if you insist, but they will not propose the
-option; it is up to you to raise the issue and say firmly that this is
-what you want. If the publisher you are dealing with refuses, please
-try other publishers. If you're not sure whether a proposed license
-is free, write to @email{licensing@@gnu.org}.
-
-You can encourage commercial publishers to sell more free, copylefted
-manuals and tutorials by buying them, and particularly by buying
-copies from the publishers that paid for their writing or for major
-improvements. Meanwhile, try to avoid buying non-free documentation
-at all. Check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it,
-and insist that whoever seeks your business must respect your freedom.
-Check the history of the book, and try reward the publishers that have
-paid or pay the authors to work on it.
-
-The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of free documentation
-published by other publishers, at
-@url{http://www.fsf.org/doc/other-free-books.html}.
projects / tar / blobdiff